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OBITUARY NOTICE. 



Mr William Shaw, Galashiels. 



By Rev. J. J. M. L. Aiken, E.D., Ayton. 



In his annual Address the President aUuded to the increasing 

 dearth of experts anione; the members of the Chib, and feehngly 

 referred to Mr WilHam Shaw, an Associate member, who 

 "from time to time did appreciated work for us in natural 

 history." Without any special training, he applied himself 

 with such remarkable diligence to the study of insect and 

 plant life, that not only did he acquire an intimate acquaintance 

 with recorded species within the counties of Berwick, Roxbiu'gh, 

 and Selkirk, but he also identified and described others col- 

 lected by himself, which proved to be records for that specific 

 area. 



Born in 1 840 near Eyemouth, he began life as a ploughman ; 

 but developing a taste for natural science, he soon abandoned 

 that vocation with the view of securing an occupation which 

 would afford him more leisure for the prosecution of scientific 

 study. This object was attained by his appointment as 

 post-runner between Ayton and Eyemouth ; and during his 

 tenure of that ofilce he manifested such devotion to the 

 collection of natural objects that he qualified himself for an 

 appointment to the curatorship of Berwiqk Museum, where his 

 perseverance and accurate knowledge were evidenced in many 

 additions made to the specimen-cases of that institution. Later 

 in life he engaged himself as gardener at Faldonside, and 

 afterwards settled at Galashiels, where in a similar capacitj- 

 he found employment till within a few months of his death 

 on 21st May 1908. 



As recently as the Club's last meeting at Melrose in 1907, 

 he retained a firm step and clear vision, having on that 



